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It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day struggles. I try to look at my quarterly numbers and compare those to the same quarter in prior years. This gives me a much better idea of the health of my business. It also usually reduces panic after a bad well.
Jay / Ryanne:
May I suggest at the end of each quarter, you create a thread where everyone can post quarterly numbers. This would be much more insightful than just seeing the weekly ups and downs.Are you trying to sell this “well worn” hat to someone with a hair fetish?
Lots of good advice here. I’ll offer mine as well.
When I first started, I almost never spent more than a couple bucks on an item. Over time, I’ve learned to never ignore anything at a sale. While I still find stuff for a dollar that will sell for $50+, I’m not afraid to research higher priced stuff. I live in a metro area and I see a lot of eBay sellers at estate sales and garage sales, but the competition really thins out for the more expensive stuff. And even if an item is marked high, don’t be afraid to negotiate. The bottom line is to look at the potential return when you are deciding what to buy. Nowadays, I’m not afraid to spend $50 if I know I can flip it for $150. On a weekend, I might hit 100 garage sales, but I usually only come home with a dozen items. I don’t have the time or the energy to list 2000 items. I am very picky and do my research while at the sale. I try to only buy items that will either move moderately fast or sell for a high price ($50+). I try to minimize those $10-$25 items, as they just aren’t worth it.
Long tail only works if the stuff you buy is worth the time, energy, and storage space you allot to it. Even if you buy a book for a quarter and you sell it for $20, if it takes 2 years to move it, that wasn’t a great investment. If you are going to buy a niche item like that, make sure the payoff is worth it. Search sold and completed listings to find those types of items. If you do buy items that only sell for $20, be sure it will sell in a few months at most. If you have lots of competitors, undercut their prices to move it a bit faster.
Yep, it’s a rented storage unit. Couple years ago, I filled up what little extra space I had in my apartment, so I finally decided to rent a storage space. Best eBay decision I’ve made thus far. Sales increased drastically after that because I quit worrying about what I could buy. I was hesitant to get one because of the added monthly expense, but it quickly paid for itself each month and then some.
I see a lot of people on here who say they only have a set amount of storage space because of where they live. Storage units are everywhere, so just bite the bullet and get one. You’re seriously limiting your growth potential it you don’t have enough storage space.
Have almost filled this storage unit up. I might get a climate controlled unit next, so I can really clear most everything eBay out of my apartment. My goal is just to use my apartment for photography and as a packing and shipping station only.
I’ve quit selling most semi-modern software because almost every time I try it gets a VERO flag.
I hate the whole VERO program because it’s so inconsistent in it’s enforcement, it doesn’t really have any clear rules, and eBay doesn’t have an appeal system.
If you are going to use that tactic, for goodness sakes hire a real human model for the photos. The mannequins are just creepy.
I’m approved to sell music right now, but Amazon has been sending me emails asking for me to send invoices for music items or I will lose most (all?) of my selling privileges in that category. All my inventory is scavenged, so I won’t be able to provide any invoices.
Last year, I sold a ton on Amazon, but with the new rules, long-term storage fees, and high return rate, I’ve been redirecting most of my efforts to eBay. I’m mostly giving up on sending “stuff” to Amazon and I’m only sending them books at this point. Amazon is just not a very friendly marketplace for scavenger sellers like myself.
I sell a lot of hats and just send them in padded poly mailers. Never had any issues or buyer complaints. If I sell a hat over $75, I’ll usually upgrade the buyer to the 7 x 7 x 6 USPS priority box.
At a garage sale, I bought a cloth zipper pouch with 3 holes punched in the side, designed to store your school pencils inside a 3 ring binder or trapper keeper. It had a big Nike Swoosh on it. I remember everyone having similar zipper pouches when I was a kid in the 90s.
I bought it for a quarter. I searched eBay and couldn’t find any sales or active listings for a vintage zipper pouch.
I put it up for $40 and it sold in a few weeks. That is probably one of my favorite sales, as I sold it at a good price on what was a total hunch on a weird, mundane item. Shoot, it couldn’t have cost more than a few dollars when new. Name brands and nostalgia sell.
As a niche seller, I will pass on this program. I don’t see many benefits to making a guarantee on shipping time.
Like all things eBay, it depends on how much work you want to do and how quickly you want to get money.
Personally, I would scan each slide individually and milk every penny I could out of them. That will probably take longer to sell, though, but you will get much higher returns. It’s rare to find a truly one-of-a-kind item that is also fairly sought after.
I’m not sure on the tape recording. If it is super personal, I would probably just destroy it. Even celebrities deserve some degree of privacy. If it is fairly benign, then you might sell it and probably be okay.
Wow. You better watch out, or that guy is going to make an eBay citizen’s arrest.
Ebay brings out lots of jerks / trolls. Here’s a weird message I received today in regards to an old 1960s trucker hat I have for sale for $60. I just ignored it and blocked him.
“I will offer you $8.50 for your hat with shipping included in that shape it’s only worth about $7.50 with shipping included but I’ll throw in an extra buck just so I don’t have to look at it every day. Thanks,Bobio”
